Om Pizzas and Eats, the franchisee for Papa John’s Pizza, Chili’s Grill & Bar restaurants and The Great Kabab Factory, has appointed Sanjay Coutinho as the CEO.

In his new role Coutinho will be responsible for handling the expansion plan as the company is planning to increase Papa John’s Pizza and the Chili’s Grill & Bar restaurants business. Currently the company has 35 restaurants and plans to increase the number to more than 100 restaurants across tier-1 and tier-2 Indian cities in next two years.

Coutinho has over 20 years of experience in the Indian food and retail sector. He has worked with Domino’s Pizza in its initial days and also with Baskin Robins. Most recently he was the CEO of Barista Coffee.

“Sanjay, with his experience and knowledge of the Indian QSR business, is expected to drive this rapid expansion plan,” said Faisal Jawad, chairman of Om Pizza & Eats. Om Pizza is funded by TVS Shriram Growth Fund.

“Sanjay’s induction comes at a crucial juncture for the business and Sanjay was expected to leverage his experience over the years, in carving a niche for Papa John’s Pizza and Chilis Grill and Bar restaurants in the fast growing out of home consumption market,” said Gopal Srinivasan, Chairman of TVS Capital Funds Limited.